We do admit we are causing inconvenience to the people, but this is to have long-term gains through short-term pain. No one will give up now until we get a significant achievement.

The defining quality of the protesters is their age — a majority of them are young students, who not only are participants but also leaders and organizers of the protests that are unnerving both Hong Kong and Chinese authorities.

On Thursday, Lam also told reporters that the other side had undermined trust in their calls to bring out protesters.

The dialogue cannot be deployed as an excuse to incite more people to join the protest. The illegal occupation activists must stop.

Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997, and is governed under a "one country, two systems" agreement. The Pearl of the Orient, as it is affectionately known, has guaranteed civil liberties that don't exist on the mainland, including freedom of speech and the right to protest. Some analysts say that these protests may provoke Beijing to justify more political heavy-handedness in Hong Kong in the future.